1. Previous to Jan. 3, no nation had ever successfully landed a spacecraft on the far side of the moon. However, which one of these nations did it Jan. 3 this year?

a. Russia

b. China

c. Japan

2. Which political issue drove the government to a shutdown Dec. 21?

a. Funding for the border wall

b. Returning migrant children to their countries of origin

c. Continuation of the Mueller investigation

3. Which Republican senator recently publicly decried President Donald Trump in an op-ed piece for the Washington Post?

a. Bob Corker

b. Rand Paul

c. Mitt Romney

4. Which comedian recently came under fire for mocking Parkland shooting survivors in a leaked comedy set?

a. Joe Rogan

b. John Mulaney

c. Louis C.K.

5. A Florida woman was arrested Dec. 22 after robbing, of all things, a mail carrier truck. She came armed for the robbery with what equipment?

a. A plastic gun and a tricycle

b. A Nerf sword and a scooter

c. A hunting rifle and a mountain bike

Answers:

1. b. China successfully landed a lunar lander on the far side of the moon, according to the Los Angeles Times. Landing on the far side of the moon is particularly difficult because the moon blocks transmissions from the spacecraft. China used a relay satellite in order to circumvent the issue and keep transmissions live.

2. a. A fight over funding for the border wall caused a government shutdown in mid-December, and it has lasted into January this year. According to the Los Angeles Times, the over-two-week-long shutdown is already one of the longest shutdowns in history. The Trump administration has been arguing for $5 billion in funding for the wall, which Democrats have been unyielding on agreeing to approve funding for. On Jan. 3, the first day of the Democrats’ control of the House, the Democrats introduced bills in order to approve funding for organizations affected by the government shutdown but distinct from the border wall problem.

3. c. The first day of the new year saw the Washington Post publish an op-ed piece from Mitt Romney, wherein Romney called out the president for having “not risen to the mantle of the office,” and decried Trump’s personal character. The Los Angeles Times called the piece a move by Romney to distinguish himself from both the “Old Guard” Republicans and Trump’s more populist supporters. Indeed, Ken Spain, former spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, noted that Romney seems to be positioning himself as “the voice of the establishment wing of the Republican party.”

4. c. Continuing to try to make a comeback after admitting to sexual misconduct, Louis C.K. came under fire from the public yet again when he mocked Parkland school shooting survivors, according to New York Daily news. C.K. allegedly performed the set on Dec. 16, with the audio leaked and posted on Twitter Dec. 30. In the set, C.K. mocks school shooting survivors, saying that, as a survivor of an attack, they’re nothing special since they didn’t get shot.

5. a. The woman stood up a mail carrier truck with a plastic gun before riding away on a tricycle, according to The State. After she was apprehended by authorities, they determined the weapon to be a fake handgun. The woman then told officers that she was God and that voices told her to do things.